SEARED SALMON WITH SINGAPORE NOODLES OF NIGELLA

SEARED SALMON WITH SINGAPORE NOODLES

Here is Nigella’s recipe I tried this weekend. Though the ingredient list is long, I found this recipe quite easy to prepare, the steps were easy to follow.

This recipe allowed me to discover new ingredients I had never tried before! Madras curry, dried shrimps, Chinese wine.

All these ingredients were easily found at my local Asian supermarket.

I enjoyed the smell and color of madras curry. My madras curry contained turmeric, coriander, fenugreek, chili peppers, salt, cloves, fennel, garlic and other spices.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have any Chinese leaf (a type of Oriental cabbage) .

As for ginger and fresh coriander, I used ground ginger and ground coriander. My ground coriander is cumin-coriander powder which I bought in the Mauritius Island last year during my vacations. It is a basic combination of coriander and cumin and widely used in Indian cuisine.

I bought a bottle of Red Wine River Vineyard, produced in 2004. This wine goes from the North-West part of China, in particularly from the Silk Road, Xinjiang Province (extreme North West of China).

The wine was rude in color and soft in taste. I didn’t find it exceptional but it was perfect for soaking in it dry shrimps.

I used dry shrimps as indicated in the recipe but frankly me personally I wasn’t very fond of them. It was good but nothing special. I guess I expected something more from their taste. Maybe my dry shrimps were not of supreme quality but I guess next time I’ll definitely use fresh shrimps and the difference will be there !

I like vermicelli rice noodles which are easy and quick to prepare. But truly speaking, my personal preference or choice would go for soba noodles which absorb the flavors of the sauce better than vermicelli rice noodles. But as I have said, it is my personal preference because soba noodles are probably my favorite kind of noodles.

What I liked the most about this recipe? - Tender salmon filets nicely browned on both sides and baby corns. Baby corns were delicious and flavorful with their golden yellow color.

So my verdict - it's a definite "must try" recipe but next time I’ll use fresh shrimps and soba noodles.

I guess everybody of us has its own foodie preference, what makes the cuisine various and full of different flavors and textures.

INGREDIENTS

2 teaspoons medium Madras curry powder
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon sugar
4 salmon fillets, approx. 200g each
1 x 15ml tablespoon garlic oil

FOR THE NOODLES
250g vermicelli rice noodles
50g dried shrimp
125ml Chinese cooking wine
1 x 15ml tablespoon garlic oil
100g finely sliced Chinese leaf
125g baby corn, sliced into thin rounds
2 spring onions, finely sliced
2 teaspoons medium Madras curry powder
1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
250ml chicken stock (from concentrate)
3 x 15ml tablespoons soy sauce
150g beansprouts
4 x 15ml tablespoons chopped fresh coriander

METHOD

1. Mix the curry powder, salt and sugar in a wide, shallow dish and dredge the salmon in this, turning the pieces all over in the rub.
2. Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan and cook the salmon fillets on a high heat for about 2–3 minutes a side, searing the sides of the fillets too if they are very thick.
3. Put the rice noodles into a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave them to soak for 4 minutes and then drain them.
4. Soak the dried shrimp in the wine, then heat the oil in a wok and fry the Chinese leaf, baby corn and spring onions for a few minutes.
5. Add the curry powder and finely chopped ginger to the wok, and then the chicken stock and soy sauce. Pour in the shrimps, with their wine, and the drained, soaked noodles, tossing and shaking everything all together in the wok.
6. Finally, stir in the beansprouts and give a final toss, before turning out into a bowl and sprinkling with the coriander.